Music notes1

tie

2 or more notes of the same pitch, connected with a curved line, add the time values together and play as one note

Music Alphabet

A B C D E F G

Scale

A particular collection of pitches arranged in ascending or descending order

Staff

A staff is composed of 5 lines and 4 spaces.

Beat

A steady, recurring pulse is called a ________.

Grand Staff

A two-part staff consisting of the treble staff on top and the bass staff on the bottom. These staves are connected by a bracket.

Bass Clef Spaces

All Cows Eat Grass ( A C E G )

Barlines and measures

Barlines are vertical lines. Measures are the spaces between the barlines.

Natural Sign

Cancels a flat or a sharp.

Treble Clef Lines

Every Good Burger Deserves Fries (E G B D F )

Treble Clef Spaces

F A C E

Downbeat

First accented beat of each pattern

Bass Clef Lines

Grandma Boogies Down Fifth Avenue (GBD FA)

Tempo

How fast or slow the music is counted.

Phrase

Is a unit of meaning within a larger structure

Double Bar Line

Is drawn at the end of a section or a piece of music. Shown is the FINAL Double Bar Line.

Melody

Is the line, or tune, in music, a concept that is shared by most cultures

Rhythm

Is what moves music forward in time; Each individual note has a length, or duration- some long, some short

Flat

Lowers a pitch 1/2 step.

Sharp

Raises a pitch 1/2 step.

Accidentals

Symbols used to alter the pitch. (Flat, Sharp, & Natural Signs)

Interval

The distance between any two pitches in a melody.

Dotted Note Rules: Note head is on a space.

The dot is drawn in the same space as the note head.

Dotted Note Rules: Note head is on a line.

The dot is drawn in the space ABOVE the note head.

Flag Rules

The flag is always on the right side of the stem regardless of the direction of the stem.

Dynamics

The loudness or softness of music.

Fermata

To hold.

treble clef

Used for the higher sounding pitches. Also known as the G clef.

bass clef

Used for the lower sounding pitches. Also called F clef.

Counting Lines and Spaces

You count from the bottom to top.

Octave

an interval of eight notes

natural

cancels the effect of a flat or sharp

bar line

divides the staff into measures

key signature

flats or sharps placed between the clef sign and time signature

half rest

gets 2 counts of silence

half note

gets 2 counts of sound

dotted half note

gets 3 counts of sound

whole rest

gets 4 counts of silence

whole note

gets 4 counts of sound

quarter rest

gets one count of silence

quarter note

gets one count of sound

eighth rest

gets one half count of silence

eighth note

gets one-half count of sound

repeat

go back and play again

diminuendo

gradually decreasing in volume

diminuendo

gradually decreasing in volume, also written as dim.

crescendo

gradually increasing in volume, also written as cresc.

ritardando

gradually slowing down

fermata

hold the note or rest longer than its time value

forte

loud volume

flat

lowers the pitch of a note by one-half step

mezzo piano

medium loud

mezzo forte

medium loud volume

legato

play smooth and connected

accent

play the note with more emphasis

staccato

play the notes short and detached

sharp

raises the pitch of a note by one-half step

double bar

shows the end of a piece of music

piano

soft volume

measure

space between two barlines

time signature

tells how many beats are in each measure and what kind of note gets one beat

staff

the 5 lines and 4 spaces on which music is written

eighth notes

two eighth notes connected with a beam, equal to one beat

fortissimo

very loud

pianissimo

very soft